The American Bar Association online program ABA Free Legal Answers, which lets qualifying users get civil legal advice online from volunteer attorneys, has expanded to offer help on immigration and veterans’ questions. The association said the project, called Federal Free Legal Answers, fills a critical need for legal help during the pandemic. For immigrants and asylum-seekers, questions about deportation, green cards, DACA and naturalization will be accepted. For veterans, eligible dependents and survivors, questions about benefits and discharge upgrades will be accepted. The project is a collaboration between several ABA committees and the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Read more in a release from the ABA.

The Nashville School of Law is hosting a virtual legal clinic to produce wills for new Habitat for Humanity homeowners. An upper-level law student team goes through the intake process with the client so volunteer attorneys are only needed to conduct the client meeting and provide guidance as the will is completed. Clinics, which will be conducted via Zoom, are scheduled for Jan. 19, March 16 and April 20. Each will held from 6 to 8 p.m. CST. Lawyers who are interested in volunteering should contact Ryan Harris with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Nashville.

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings has launched a new legal clinic in Nashville designed to assist black-owned small businesses and nonprofits. The first clinic will take place virtually next Monday on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Clients will be assisted by appointment only from noon to 1 p.m. CST. Subsequent clinics will be held on the third Thursday of each month. The clinic, a joint project with the Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville and its Volunteer Lawyers & Professionals for the Arts (VLPA) Program, will provide accessible and affordable business-oriented legal services, including corporate governance, review of contracts and guidance navigating local ordinances and state regulations. In announcing the initiative, the firm’s managing partner Jonathan M. Skeeters said the clinic is an “opportunity for Bradley to join the cause for racial equity and to make a lasting impact in the Nashville community.”

The link to volunteer for an upcoming legal clinic to help individuals and businesses affected by the Christmas day bombing in downtown Nashville was wrong in Friday’s issue of TBA Today. The correct link is here. The free clinic —a joint project of the Tennessee Bar Association, Nashville Bar Association, Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services, and Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands — will be held remotely by phone on Friday. Each appointment will last 30 minutes. Those needing assistance can schedule an appointment starting tomorrow by calling 615-953-4961.

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands will hold four phone clinics this week for members of the public with questions about housing and renters’ rights, bankruptcy, medical bills, debt collection, domestic violence, SNAP benefits and unemployment benefits. Clinics will take place on Tuesday from 4:30 to 6 p.m., Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Thursday from 3 to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. All times central. LAS is looking for attorneys to help answer questions. To volunteer, contact Andrae Crismon or Kendra Cheek or call 615-780-7131.

Legal assistance organizations and bar associations are joining forces to support individuals and businesses affected by the Christmas day bombing in downtown Nashville. The groups — which include the Tennessee Bar Association, Nashville Bar Association, Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services and Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands — will host a free legal clinic on Jan. 15. The clinic will be held remotely by phone and each appointment will last 30 minutes. Those needing assistance can schedule an appointment Jan. 12 to 14 by calling 615-953-4961. Attorneys interested in volunteering should complete this online form. Download a joint press release from the groups or a flyer for the event.

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands will hold two phone clinics this week for members of the public with questions about housing and renters’ rights, bankruptcy, medical bills, debt collection, domestic violence, SNAP benefits and unemployment benefits. Clinics will take place Thursday from 4:30 to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. All times central. LAS is looking for attorneys to help answer questions. To volunteer, contact Andrae Crismon or Kendra Cheek or call 615-780-7131.

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands has received a $125,000 grant from the Legal Services Corporation to assist victims affected by the March 2020 tornadoes in Middle Tennessee. The LSC Disaster Relief Emergency Grant will provide funding for direct legal services, educational outreach and free legal clinics to low-income disaster victims in Davidson, Putnam and Wilson counties. LAS will be eligible for a second grant of an equal amount next year. The group also announced it will hold virtual legal clinic for disaster victims in each of three counties in the spring of 2021. To help meet the goals of the grant, Legal Aid has hired Bridget Stewart as a full-time disaster relief attorney.

The Nashville Bar Association is partnering with Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands for a phone-based legal clinic set for Saturday from 8:30 to 11 a.m. Volunteers will help members of the public with questions about housing and renters’ rights, bankruptcy, medical bills, debt collection, domestic violence, SNAP benefits and unemployment benefits. Attorneys interested in participating should contact Lynne Ingram.

Nominations are being accepted for the TBA’s Public Service Awards. The annual awards recognize outstanding commitment to access to justice in three categories: work performed by an attorney employed by an organization primarily involved in providing legal representation to the indigent; pro bono work performed by a private attorney; and a strong commitment to pro bono service by a Tennessee law student or recent graduate. Nominations have been extended and should be submitted via the TBA website no later than Jan. 5. Nominators are welcome to include supplemental information including letters or videos of support. For more information, contact TBA Access to Justice Director Liz Todaro.